Saturday, April 12, 2014

We WAY overdid it last week ... SEVEN Charts in all!!! But there was just SO much GREAT music to choose from.This week we work our way back to a little bit closer to normal ... with FIVE charts covering this date from the '60s and '70's.First up ...

KLIF out of Dallas / Fort Worth decided to take the easy way out when it came to programming Beatles music ... rather than list as many as a dozen different songs by The Fab Four, they just lumped them ALL together and called their #1 Hit "All Beatle Records"!!! (lol)

In hindsight, it may have been the fairest way to handle it ... at least this gave 40 spots to all the other artists out there making records at the time! (In fact, tying for the #1 spot was "Suspicion" by Terry Stafford, a record that never officially reached the summit in Billboard ... but DID top the charts on any number of Spring, 1964 charts I've seen over the years ... including those here in Chicago.)

You'll find a few more country tracks on this list than some others ... but this was, after all, Texas. (Young Frannie grew up listening to this station when she was a little girl!) Another favorite of mine (with a pedal steel guitar no less) is Pete Drake's version of "Forever". (Just listen to how he makes that guitar "sing"!!!)

Jumping ahead ten years to 1974, we find a chart from WDUZ out of Green Bay, Wisconsin.Their main chart was down to just 14 positions. (WLS did virtually the same thing right around this time.)Instead, to better explore their play list, they simply listed the other tracks they were playing as "Hit Bound".

Three solo Beatle tracks are featured on this week's chart from 1974 ... these include the #1 Record in Green Bay by Ringo Starr with "Oh My My" and Paul McCartney, who is climbing the chart with his two latest hits, "Jet" and "Band On The Run".It's some of the Hit Bound tracks that I find most interesting. Chicago's New Colony Six make the list with "Never Be Lonely", a record that never charted here in Chicago.

They're also charting "Daybreak" by Nilsson, "Dance With The Devil" by Cozy Powell, "A Dream Goes On Forever" by Todd Rundgren and "Tell Me A Lie" by Sami Jo, records you didn't typically see on most Top 40 Charts at the time.I also see another 1974 favorite of mine ... "Virginia" by Canadian Bill Amesbury, a record that only charted here in Chicago on the WCFL weekly survey ... WLS didn't play this record.Amesbury became more famous for what he did AFTER his record hit the charts than for his biggest hit. Bill had a very publicized sex change operation that had tongues a-waggin' for quite some time! (Guess that sort of makes him the Bruce Jenner of his day, eh??? Of course Bill never made the Wheaties box ... but just the same!)

Jumping back to 1967, we move on to Toledo's WTTO ... where we find The Five Americans on top of the chart with their '60's classic "Western Union".

Some rare stuff here in The Top Ten ... At first I had to assume that this must be local talent ... but "Story Of My Life" by The Unrelated Segments is actually a Taylor, Michigan band ... and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" by Terry Knight, also comes from Michigan ... Flint this time. After a couple of minor hits of his own, Terry would go on to manage Grand Funk Railroad.

And check out The Monkees ... Monkeemania has definitely hit the Toledo, Ohio area ... The Pre-Fab Four are at #2 with their two-sided hit "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" / The Girl I Knew Somewhere", at #10 with the mis-spelled "Valerie" ("Valleri"), a record that wouldn't REALLY come out as a single for a full year ... (they must have been playing the version used on their TV Show at the time, much as WCFL did here in Chicago at the time) and "She Hangs Out" (called here "She Hangs On"), which I can only assume was the R&B version that was released as the B-Side to their "A Little Bit Me" single up in Canada for a short time before it was pulled off the market. The Micky Dolenz (spelled "Mickey") solo hit "Don't Do It" is also on the charts.

In the era before spell-check, you'll also find The New COLONEY Six at #27 with "You're Gonna Be Mine", AGATHA Franklin (I think she was the Queen of SOLE) at #29 with "I Never Loved A Man", "Oh No That's Bad" by Sam The Sham (actually, "Oh That's Good, No That's Bad"), "Creeque Alley" (missing an "e') by The Mamas and the Papas and "Girl, You'll Be A WOMEN Soon" by Neil Diamond, perhaps an early investigation into cloning. (Incredibly, they managed to spell GARFUNKEL correctly!!! Oh wait ... no they didn't!!!!) They've also listed "Sayin' Somethin' Stupid" by Frank and Nancy (Sinatra) and COMPLETELY destroyed the Every Mothers' Son title "Come And Take A Ride In My Boat", charting here three full weeks before it would premier in Billboard.

Bobby Darin's "The Lady Comes From Baltimore" in The Top Ten is a surprise. So's a solo hit by Keith Allison, an obscure track by Sopwith Camel and "Matthew And Son" by a then very young (and COMPLETELY unknown) Cat Stevens! (Man, I love lookin' at these old charts, don't you?!?!?)

Reaching back to 1962, we find some GREAT classics that don't receive any airplay anymore ... "Johnny Angel" by Shelley Fabares, this week's #1 Hit (you'll also find Shelley's "Donna Reed Show" co-star Paul Petersen at #19 with his current hit "She Can't Find Her Keys") ... "Stranger On The Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk, "Midnight In Moscow" by Kenny Ball and "Love Letters" by Ketty Lester can all be found in this week's Top 15 Tracks.

A few surprises here ... "King Of Clowns" by Neil Sedaka at #7 (it peaked at #45 on the Billboard Chart), "La Paloma Twist" shown as the A-Side of the Chubby Checker record "Slow Twistin'" (nationally it only charted for two weeks and stalled at #72) and "Ginny Come Lately" in The Top Ten ... it never climbed higher than #21 in Billboard. Boy, it seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?

KEYN (out of Wichita, Kansas) certainly went their own way in 1969. While tracks like "Aquarius / Let The Sun Shine In", "Hair", "These Eyes", "Galveston", "Sweet Cherry Wine", "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" and "Time Is Tight" were tearing up the charts everywhere else around the country, THESE guys had "Did You See Her Eyes" by The Illusion, "Morning Girl" by Neon Philharmonic, "First Of May" by The Bee Gees and "Playgirl" by Thee Prophets at the top of their chart!

Other big unusual hits included "When You Dance" by Jay and the Americans, "The Early Bird Cafe" (apparently an album track by The Serfs), "Sorry Suzanne" by The Hollies, "Apricot Brandy" by Rhinoceros and "Hunky Funky" by Chicago's own American Breed ... wow, what an eclectic countdown! (I've got to tell you, though, that's it's pretty cool to see "Baby Driver" charting as a B-Side for Simon and Garfunkel!)

Friday, April 11, 2014

After owning The Top Five Spots on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart the week before, THE BEATLES maintained five Top Ten Hits the following week, too, with CAN'T BUY ME LOVE holding down the #1 spot, TWIST AND SHOUT locked in at #2, SHE LOVES YOU at #4, I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND at #7 and PLEASE PLEASE ME at #9. THE DAVE CLARK FIVE remained in The Top Ten as well with GLAD ALL OVER, moving up from #10 to #8.

Making our way down the chart, other British hits included NEEDLES AND PINS by THE SEARCHERS at #13, THE BEATLES' DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET making a HUGE leap from #46 to #14, another DAVE CLARK FIVE hit, BITS AND PIECES, jumping from #48 to #22, HPPY HIPPY SHAKE by THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS holding steady at #24 and THE BEATLES' flipside I SAW HER STANDING THERE falling to #38. WE LOVE YOU BEATLES by THE CAREFREES also cracked the Top 40 this week, climbing to #39. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD held down the #62 spot with STAY AWHILE.

Another BEATLES' flipside, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, was at #48, followed by six more Fab Four recordings: ALL MY LOVING at #50, FROM ME TO YOU at #52, THANK YOU GIRL at #61, THERE'S A PLACE at #74, ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN at #78 and LOVE ME DO premiering at #81. (This was THE BEATLES' first U.K. single, being released here in America some 18 months after it first charted in England, where it peaked at #17. Incredibly, here in The States, it would go all the way to #1, despite its by now very "primitive" sound.) If you're keeping score, that's a total of FOURTEEN Top 100 Hits for THE BEATLES this week, another timeless record that will most likely never be broken.

Not much new here in Chicago on The WLS Silver Dollar Survey this week in 1964. "Glad All Over"'s at #2 (held out of the #1 spot by the Terry Stafford hit "Suspicion", a HUGE Hit here in Chi-Town), "Can't Buy Me Love" is at #3, "Twist And Shout" is down to #5, "Thank You Girl" is at #7, Cliff Richard's "It's All In The Game" is #11, "Bits And Pieces" climbs to #14, "All My Lovin'" is right behind it at #15 and "Beatle Time" is #31. Jeez, it ALMOST looks like a lull this week! (Notice how here in Chicago "Thank You Girl" was the charted hit instead of the real A-Side "Do You Want To Know A Secret"???)

... AND NOW ...

LOTS of buzz about the PBS Dave Clark Five Special that ran earlier this week ... so let's get right to it!

re: The Dave Clark Five: Did you get a chance to watch the brand new PBS Two-Hour Dave Clark Five special Tuesday Night? This was a jam-packed, full two-hour show ... not a little throw-away stretched out over two hours due to PBS Pledge Drives. (In fact, as I understand it, the dvd that they were hawking after the show contains an additional two hours of BONUS footage ... and, hopefully, some of the full-length video clips they showed throughout this program.)Speaking honestly, this was a bit of a one-sided presentation ... it is, after all, a Dave Clark Production, written, directed and produced by Clark ... but one certainly gained a clearer insight to Dave's business savvy, especially when folks like Paul McCartney (who has signed a bad contract or two during the course of his career) complimented Clark's business skills. (In all these years I don't think I've ever seen any of The Beatles so much as acknowledge their existence ... played up in the media as "rivals" of The Beatles, for all intents and purposes, it seemed The Fab Four simply pretended they weren't really there and virtually ignored them publicly!) Usually the REAL competition at the time always came down to either The Beatles and/or The Stones back then ... and some of the other British Invasion Groups were unfairly dismissed as almost being "lightweight" by comparison ... but this simply wasn't the case. (Check out our on-going Friday Feature as we look back each week at The Evolution of The British Invasion and you'll see what I mean!) Clark literally managed every aspect of the band ... plotted their direction and called all the shots regarding contract negotiations, concert and television appearances, recordings ... even butting heads with their record label over the release of a ballad ("Because", which went on to be come one of their biggest and best-loved hits) because the record company didn't feel it was in keeping with their raucous reputation ... and managed to retain control of all of their recordings in a virtually then unheard of negotiation. (As pointed out in the film, Dave Clark never really had to worry much about the band switching drummers!) The first twenty minutes were a bit repetitious, featuring the same snippets of hits ("Glad All Over", "Bits And Pieces" and "Do You Love" me repeatedly to illustrate the band's rise to fame) ... and the last half hour to forty minutes dragged for me a bit ... by this point, the group had already decided to call it quits ... so most of the focus was on Dave Clark's solo projects. I did find the profile of Clark's musical "Time" to be quite fascinating however ... amazing to think how many big names were attached to that project. I used to have the soundtrack LP but it's long gone ... and may have to start a search party to grab that one again. I was also disappointed that they didn't do a deeper profile of Mike Smith, who truly was the voice of The Dave Clark Five ... and a HUGE part of their sound and success. (Of all the hundreds and hundreds of concerts I've seen over the years, one of the ones that meant the most to me was catching Mike Smith live in concert at The Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana ... just an INCREDIBLE show ... very relaxed, very personal ... yet he could still belt out all of his tunes with the best of them. Sadly, just one month later is when he had his terrible fall and ended up paralyzed from the neck down, as he remained until the day he died. What a sad, sad ending to an incredible career.) Seeing all the clips again was great ... while I've had most of these on video for years, there were a few shown that I'd never seen before, which is ALWAYS a very pleasant surprise. Meanwhile, they must have said at least half a dozen times during the program that The Dave Clark Five appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show eighteen times ... but as Forgotten Hits Readers know, it was really TWELVE ... the other six were repeat or rerun performances ... but that's STILL a pretty remarkable feat. I loved, too, Bruce Springsteen and Little Steven reminiscing about the impact the Dave Clark Five had on their own sound ... and The Boss talking about how he'd walk into a store or restaurant back in 1964 and immediately put on a British accent! (Too funny!!! The thing is, we ALL did that ... it's little things like that that you forget about the mania ... we ALL wanted to be British ... or have people THINK we were British ... because THAT is what was happening at the time. For many of us, we had never even HEARD a British accent before!!! And it didn't matter if you were a kid growing up in New Jersey or Chicago ... THIS is what you wanted to be!!!) To be sure, Dave Clark is a control freak ... and I will NEVER be convinced that holding on to this wealth of material, making it unavailable to the fans and the public, was a wise business decision. Instead, it should have been shared with the world ... and would have helped them to keep a presence in the mainstream. Instead, by now, far too many have already left us, including 60% of the band itself. Their Rock And Roll Hall of Fame snub is legendary ... thankfully, they finally got it, albeit shortly after Mike Smith's death. Perhaps now that Clark has made this film public, some of the other material he's had under lock and key will start to resurface ... the complete Dave Clark Five music catalog on "legal" CD for example (most of us fans have owned the "bootleg versions" for YEARS now!!!); the complete "Ready, Steady, Go" television series library, profiling SO many of the great groups not only of The British Invasion but of that whole generation of music ... heck, he could lease THOSE to PBS and I'd be thrilled to see them all again!!!; the aforementioned "Time", released as both a film and a soundtrack ... SO much great stuff that's been sitting in the vaults now for decades. Let's hope he has a change of heart and that this self-produced (and somewhat self-serving) television special is just the first step in opening the floodgates of DC5 Mania, circa 2014!!! (kk)

Hi Kent - The Dave Clark Special was Fantastic! Five cool dudes who did great originals and cover songs. Carolyn

OMG, I just love these guys. I had forgotten how much great music they gave us ... and how cute they were! Sherry

Hi Kent ... First let me say that I've always been a fan of the DC5. Their music represents everything I like in rock 'n roll. The Dave Clark 5 - Glad All Over PBS Special was very engrossing ... a combination of documentary, interviews and concert music that kept you interested for two hours. Lots of music, mostly their big hits, Glad All Over, Bits and Pieces, etc., while flashbacks showed how the band grew, including flashbacks of their childhood in Tottenham, England. Thus pitting the rivalry between the Tottenham quintuplets -v- The Liverpool Fab Four. Much info that I either don't remember or had totally forgotten about included the 18 times the DC5 were on the Ed Sullivan Show (most of any British Invasion groups) or the fact that Glad All Over charted higher than the Beatles' I Want to Hold Your Hand in the U.K. I didn't realize that they charted songs by other artists until I actually brought up my 16 iTune songs by them. Commentary by DC5 fans such as Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen & Steven Van Zant, The Osbourns, Gene Simmons, original DC fans, band members etc kept the show <sort of> interesting. I will say that there was too much repetition in the music without playing a song all the way through. I'm not much of a reviewer but this'll give you a little insight of how I enjoyed this special. Thank you for putting out the info otherwise I'd never have heard about it. Steve I, too, was a MAJOR Dave Clark Five fan at the time ... and still am. I can't remember a record I wanted more than their first Greatest Hits album in late '65 ... I begged my parents for WEEKS about getting me that for Christmas ... and I remember telling them even if it's the ONLY present I got, THAT was the one that I really wanted. When I did, I couldn't plop in on the turn-table fast enough. And let me tell you, it was all thriller, no filler, from start to finish. I literally wore the grooves out of that record. I never got wrapped up much in the whole rivalry thing (although I certainly did read 16 Magazine and all the Beatles Spectaculars that came out at the time, playing up the so-called competition between the two bands.) I was able to appreciate BOTH groups for what they brought to the table ... and never believed that they themselves ever felt it was any kind of real competition. The way the British acts took over our charts at the time, it seemed to me that there was plenty of room for EVERYBODY ... the more the merrier! Every week we were introduced to a new sound by a new artist ... and we couldn't get enough! I agree that there was too much music repetition, especially at the beginning ... I was hoping that this pattern wouldn't continue throughout the program ... and I am also hopeful that the deluxe DVD edition may offer full-length versions of many of these songs. Overall, I enjoyed it ... and it's definitely something I'd watch again (and over and over and over again!) kk

Actually, I'll probably just order the 2-DVD Set so that I can do exactly that ... plus catch the two hours of BONUS footage included!

It appears Dave Clark was nothing but a fake!!! John http://www.ronryanmusic.net/Rons%20story.html What Dave Clark was, was a VERY shrewd business man ... he hired his "team" of musicians, threw himself in as the center of attention (even though it was typically Mike Smith who handled all of the lead vocals), and labeled the venture after himself as The Dave Clark Five. I've heard for YEARS now that he rarely did his own drumming in the studio and scarcely contributed much to the song-writing and singing efforts ... but as you watch this special, it's Clark's face you see center-stage throughout ... even when Mike Smith is singing lead, the camera is typically focused on Dave playing drums ... and singing the harmonies. If all of this Ron Ryan story is true, it's disappointing to hear ... and even more surprising that in all these years, his bandmates have never come forward with anything negative to say about him. (By the same token, if Ron Ryan's story is 100% true, then why didn't he write a hit for himself somewhere along the way?)Bottom line is that Dave Clark took what was, in effect, a pretty good ballroom band on the weekends and turned them into MEGA superstars that toured the world (and made a good buck ... and had a WHOLE lotta fun ... doing it.) Yes, I believe they were all salaried, hired hands ... but it sounds like he also treated them to vacations in Hawaii and the Fiji Islands and God knows where else. If this was, in fact, a deal with The Devil, it seems that all parties involved feel they got a pretty fair shake out of that deal. I guess the bottom line is, does it make you love the music any less? I've come to realize that much of what we thought was real in the '60's really wasn't. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain? It's the men behind the curtain who created all this great music in the first place. The most important thing at the time was creating music that would last ... and that they did. Does it really matter HOW they did it? Watching The Wrecking Crew and talking to artists like Peter Noone and Carl Giammarese and so many others ... like session man extraordinare Vic Flick ... has taught me one thing ... it was ALWAYS about the music ... get it as good as you can get it, lay it down ... and it'll last forever. And it has. (kk)

All in all a good show. While the Beatles were fabs of most of the crowd, I always preferred the DC5. They just kicked ASS!!! Plus who could sing like the BOOMER!! Anyway, I never did get to see them. Flash forward to 2003 and holy cow ... am I seeing right? Mike Smith is back to performing and at the Abbey in Chicago?!?! How fortunate I get to see the this great man singing all the hits then. Then in a most ironic twist of all, I got to see him again the same year in Vegas. Let me explain ... My friend Jim Gritis was paralyzed from the neck down in a water accident. Later the doctors tried to operate and Jim passed away. I went to the funeral and stayed with a mutual friend. He knew I loved the 60's and I believe it was a casino (Cannery) that had a British Invasion show and I got to see Mike Smith again ... how wonderful!! Later that year Mike fell off his roof and was paralyzed. Talk about irony! I really enjoyed seeing this great man sing twice that year. The PBS show was good, but I wished they had some clips of Rick, Lenny and Denny being interviewed. And I thought for awhile Dave Clark was with Mike Smith and it was called "Mike Smith and Friends". I am sure someone could enlightened me. I felt the show was more of Dave than the Dave Clark Five, but then again look who produced and directed it? Another comment ... in the whole world, does anyone know if there is a DC 5 TRIBUTE BAND? There should be for Pete's Sake! BUT then again how many bands have an organ player and a sax man?? Last but not least, I will never forgive the rock and roll hall of fame for not inducting the DC5 a year earlier. From my understanding the DC5 did not get in because a certain editor thought they needed a rap group instead. Sadly the next year it was too late for Mike. Mike DeMartino The subject of a Dave Clark Five "cover" or "tribute" band has come up before in Forgotten Hits ... we found a couple on YouTube ... but have yet to find one that comes anywhere near close to doing the band justice. One of the biggest surprises we found was The Fab Faux, known for their spot-on Beatles covers, doing The DC5's "Catch Us If You Can" as part of the "Tribute To Mike Smith" concert held shortly after his death. It's damn near perfect!

As for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame snubbing of The Dave Clark Five, we helped to break that story back in 2007 after Fox News caught wind of a bit of "behind the scenes tampering" that apparently was going on. In fact, we called The Rock Hall on it ... and they refused to talk to us, even cancelling a previously scheduled interview. Ironically, the timing (for us) couldn't have been better ... this all happened right in the middle of our ten-part Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Series, where we took a look back (and evaluated) many of the artists previously inducted (and ignored) up to that point. (In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have planned or orchestrated a timed media frenzy.) Our candid commentary had already been picked up by radio stations across the country ... and we were finding ourselves quoted from coast to coast. Several artists contacted us (but would only speak off the record.) In fact, the ONLY artist willing to speak ON the record was Howard Kaylan of The Turtles, whose Forgotten Hits quotes also made oldies radio headlines. Suddenly Forgotten Hits was all over the radio and media ... at one point I was doing seven radio interviews a day!!! A MAJOR turning point in our so-called success. Literally THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of oldies music fans discovered our publication as a result of this non-stop barrage of coverage. In fact, the list became so large that it became impossible to email our newsletter anymore ... and THOSE circumstances necessitated the very website you're visiting right now! The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame became VERY aware of our series and, at one point Terry Stewart, then President of The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Museum, agreed to an exclusive, no holds barred Forgotten Hits interview. But then The Dave Clark Five scandal hit the press and, because we covered it, the interview was immediately cancelled ... and we've had no communication with their organization since. Ironically, reading it back now, we never flat out accused them of anything. (You'll have the chance to read it on Sunday when we rerun that piece in its entirety.) Several times in our coverage we commented that "IF" this story was true, it would prove to be permanently damaging to The Rock Hall ... never definitively speculating either way as I had absolutely no way of knowing for sure. It was really nothing new ... throughout the article we took The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to task for some of their ludicrous and ridiculous inductions, all the while ignoring far more deserving artists, many of whom to this day have still yet to be inducted. Far more disturbing was the fact that we could never get a concrete answer as to just who the nominating committee consisted of ... and, as such, speculation has run high for years now that that distinction is held by a committee of one, that one being Jann Wenner, Rolling Stones Publisher and Founder of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. With last night's induction of The Class of 2014, this whole topic has become timely again ... so please check back on Sunday to read some truly classic Forgotten Hits. On the plus side, SEVERAL of the wrongs have since been corrected ... and nearly a dozen of the names that used to be on our Top 40 Deserving And Denied List have now made their way to the coveted Hall. But pushing The Dave Clark Five back year ... and then having Mike Smith pass away just weeks before the ceremony is, as you said, unforgivable. And a REAL shame. (kk)

re: And The Hits Just Keep On Coming!: Inspired by our on-going British Invasion Series (not!!!), it sounds like a full-scale British Invasion Tour is coming back to The States to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their 1964 chart take-over on this side of the pond. Just got this from FH Reader Tom Cuddy:

The Return of Rock Royalty ...THE BRITISH INVASION Sharing the stage for the first time ever, the iconic singers of the legendary 1960’s music revolution: Gerry & The PacemakersChad & JeremyBilly J. KramerMike Pender’s SearchersDenny Laine (of The Moody Blues & Wings)

September 12th – The Wellmont Theater

NEW YORK (April 9, 2014) - This tour commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ momentous arrival on these shores in February 1964. They called it THE BRITISH INVASION and in the wake of the massive mop top hysteria, all of the participants in this once-in-a-lifetime concert experience dominated the music world and scored more than forty worldwide Top 40 hits. Their sound and look changed popular culture forever and now they are back to celebrate and honor some of the greatest songs of the twentieth century.

Tickets on sale Friday, April 11th at 10am throughwww.ticketmaster.com, charge by phone 866.858.0008 and select Ticketmaster outlets. If tickets remain, they will be available at the venue box office on Saturday, April 12th.

The artists (all original singers of the classic hits) will be ably supported by a five-piece backing band faithfully recreating the classic sound of the vintage recordings and a full multi-media video package highlighted by rarely seen footage and incredible archival ephemera. The experience will be completed by a full presentation of unique performance clips pre-show and during intermission of other fab combos of the era, such as the Hollies, Zombies, Manfred Mann, Yardbirds, Pretty Things and many more!

Gerry & The Peacemakers Gerry Marsden personifies Merseybeat, the sound that dominated the world in1964. A close friend and associate of the Beatles in their native Liverpool, initially his UK chart success even outstripped that of the fab four, when his first three singles all hit #1. Produced by George Martin and managed by Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden is as close as you’ll get to being transported back to the famous Cavern Club. This tour marks one of his rare Stateside appearances.

Chad & Jeremy Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde were another successful duo of the era, bringing a modern twist to classic two-part harmony. They hold the distinction of being one of the few British rockers to take up residence in the United States at the height of their popularity. This allowed them to appear individually and collectively on such television programs as Batman, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty DukeShow, My Three Sons, Laredo and The Dating Game. Their esteemed songwriting embraces traditional folk, sunshine pop and visionary psychedelia; their blend is timeless.

Billy J. Kramer

Billy J. Kramer was another of Brian Epstein’s legendary protégé’s and in fact the first true British Invader (since his first visit to America pre-dates that of The Beatles). Like Marsden, this Liverpudlian’s early recordings were produced by George Martin and penned by Lennon & McCartney.

Mike Pender’s SearchersLiverpool’s Searchers were one of the most influential bands of the early 1960’s. Their lead singer, Mike Pender, played the jangly Rickenbacker twelve-string riffs on such proto-folk-rock hits as “Needles And Pins” which gave way to the West Coast music revolution closely identified with the Byrds. Along the way the Searchers popularized the tunes of such classic songwriters as Jackie DeShannon, P.F. Sloan, Jack Nitzsche and Tony Hatch. This tour marks Pender’s first full Stateside tour in decades. Denny Laine (Of The Moody Blues & Wings) Denny Laine broke out of Birmingham with a Top 10 hit, “Go Now” as a member of The Moody Blues. He went on to find even greater success as a songwriter (“Say You Don’t Mind” for Colin Blunstone of The Zombies) and as the partner of Paul McCartney in Wings (scoring twenty-four Top 40 hits, including six #1 singles).

THE BRITISH INVASION tour is produced by Keith Putney & Andrew Sandoval and booked by The Agency Group. This tour follows in the wake ofthe producer and agents’ critically lauded relaunch of The Monkees. Focusing onpresenting all of the hits, plus deep cuts and the most creative archivalmultimedia currently in production, these shows are without a doubt not to bemissed.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

re: On The Radio: Robert Feder tells us about the 90th Birthday Celebration of WLS-AM ... Click here: The Big 89 turns 90: Recalling WLS in all its glory | Robert Feder (In fact, original 'LS DeeJay Bob Hale will be featured ... both in vintage clips AND with a current and contemporary interview. Bob participates with Forgotten Hits from time to time ... so it'll be GREAT to hear him back on the air again!) kk

And, speaking of elite WLS personalities, DJ Stu Weiss will be interviewing Chicago Radio Legend Dick Biondi on his program Friday Night ... details below: At 10 PM (Eastern) I will be talking to famous Disc Jockey Dick Biondi on the phone. I know you will want to know about his amazing career. I must thank my listener Phyllis from Chicago for introducing him to me. I remember Dick from his days at WKBW radio in Buffalo.After all these years, Dick is still on the air and presently in Chicago. Following the interview you will be hearing Dick in action from a recording of many years ago. DJ Stu Here's a Listen Live link: http://www.streamlicensing.com/directory/?sid=165&start=20&g=23&e=&s=

>>>Spread the word ... help us raise some funds for the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. Larry Lujack's trusty typewriter for sale on e-bay. (John Rook) Despite the fact that I have many rare Larry Lujack items in my collection, I won't be trying for this one. Maybe I should put MY old typewriter up that I still have from making my own radio charts in the 60's and 70's?? Clark Besch http://www.ebay.com/itm/Larry-Lujacks-Smith-Corona-typewriter-/151273226780?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item233896421c Well, guess what ... as of this morning, the current bid is $755 ... with three days to go! It WOULD be an amazing piece of history to own ... and truly is a one-of-a-kind item. (Even MORE amazing would be copies of everything he typed on that machine!!! Could you imagine having the original copies and scripts of every Animal Stories, Klunk Letter of the Day, Address to America, and Cheap Trashy Show-Biz report?!?! Now THAT would be one hell of a find!) kk

And, speaking of deadlines ...

re: Last Chance To Enter For Your Chance To Win A Copy Of Joel Whitburn's New Book "Top Pop Play List, 1955 - 1969": Yep, today's the deadline ... we've received about eighty correct entries thus far ... so it will literally all boil down to Joel picking a number out of a hat ... but this is your LAST CHANCE to be the first kid on the block to own a copy of Joel's new book. Scroll back to Sunday, March 30th, for all the details and trivia lyrics ... and then get your answers in to me right away!

re: This And That: Kent ... Tommy James explained this unique education in the music business recently on WCBS-FM when he made an appearance on Scott Shannon's show. Tommy said he was invited to perform at Woodstock. His manager advised against it. "Why would you want to sing at a pig farm?" Talk about bad advice. I don't remember reading that in the book. Am I wrong? Frank B. http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/2014/04/07/tommy-james-explains-his-unique-education-in-the-music-business/ As I recall,it was even crazier than that ... I believe Tommy was in Hawaii at the time ... thinking, "Why on earth would I want to leave Hawaii to play at a pig farm?!?!?" (lol) Tommy will be at The Arcada Theatre in November I believe ... keep checking the OShows.com website for more details. (kk)

Well it has been a long time. Anyway two things I just found out: The New Colony Six will be with Paul Revere (wow, I hate missing that !!!) and I do not see Tommy James being at the Arcada. I thought I saw it before on the Arcada website but it is not there now. Funny it is on the Tommy James website. Hope Ron can clear this up as I am a major TJ FAN and plan on being there. Mike I just checked again and he's actually booked for Saturday, October 25th ... but you're right, this info is now missing from The Arcada website. (I've seen that before where all of a sudden a name will disappear and then reappear a few days later ... I don't know if it's a cut and paste thing or what ... Johnny Rivers' name has been there, gone and back again, too, recently.) NOTE: The information is back up on the site now. I hope things work out with The New Colony Six and Paul Revere and the Raiders. There have been a few bumps in the road on this one (I swear, I'm staying out of the concert promoting business!!! lol) but I'm hoping all will work out for the best ... as I think this will be a GREAT double bill if we can pull it off! (kk)

Adding my FAVORITE GROUP The New Colony Six to the Paul Revere and the Raiders show is G R E A T ...
I wish I could be there but have a family birthday.
Please take some photos and a summary of the show.
Have fun!
Carolyn

And, speaking of The Arcada Theatre, I just heard that they will be hosting a screening of the AMAZING flick "The Wrecking Crew" on May 13th (for one night only) ... and producer Denny Tedesco will be there to do some Q&A with the audience. (Now this is something I WILL plan on attending!!!)

It's a great film ... and a great chance for all the locals to finally see this great film. (Hey, maybe we can turn this into a Forgotten Hits outing!!! Let me know if you're planning to attend.) More details on the oshows.com website. (kk)

Hi Kent, This past weekend I finally rented "The Butler". I like a lot of the music in the movie but one song in particular I LOVE. I'm not sure they chose the right time for this song scene wise because it was when the Freedom bus was being attached and the occupants had to flee for there lives. The song is "Tell Him" by Patty Drew. I had never heard of this song or the artist before hearing it in this movie. I really love that about soundtracks. Stacee We couldn't wait to see "The Butler" when it first came out ... heard SO many good things about it ... and now it's been out on dvd for months and we still have yet to watch it!!! Still on our "want list", however. Not being familiar with the film (or the timing and placement of this song), I can only tell you that "Tell Him" was first a hit for The Drew-vels (of which Patti Drew was a member) in 1964 when it peaked at #90 on the Billboard chart. Three years later she cut a solo version of the tune ... but it didn't do much better, this time stopping at #85.A more familiar tune called "Tell Him" came from The Exciters ... that one went all the way to #4 in early 1963. (kk)

re: Our '70's Picks:Kent,

I hope you have a great Monday. The songs you posted this morning I just now briefly scanned to let me know what I'll be hearing later on tonight when I get back from work. The first thing that came to my mind was the next to the last song posted should have been the last song posted. Larry Yeah, I totally blew it with that one. I had "Last Song" planned as the last song (kinda like "It Sure Took A Long, Long Time" was the lead song to follow my comment that my guess was that you hadn't heard most of these songs for a long, long time) ... but a last minute add of "Strawberry Letter 23" got pasted in the wrong place and messed the whole thing up! (Meanwhile, "Strawberry Letter 23" then played in my head for the rest of the day ... probably because it WAS the last song I played for you that morning!!!) kk

Hi Kent:

I’ll give you a 70’s song that probably hasn’t gotten much airplay ... how about “Love Really Hurts Without You” by Billy Ocean from ’76. His first hit and his best by about a million miles. Reminds one of 60’s Motown.

Ken

Ocean had his biggest hits in the '80's ("Carribbean Queen", "Loverboy", "Suddenly", "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going", "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" all made Billboard's Top Five) ... but his breakthrough hit in '76 was this gem, "Love Really Hurts Without You". (It went to #22 that year ... and is a GREAT suggestion.) Thanks, Ken. (kk)

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We're doing our part to help Keep Yesterday Alive ... thanks to a GREAT list of music fans and contributors from all over the world. Forgotten Hits is Oldies Radio's Best Friend ... it's Radio That You Can Read! We're asking the deejays to dig just a LITTLE bit deeper and push the envelope just a LITTLE bit further and take the time to remember and acknowledge some of those GREAT songs and artists that we all know and love that just don't get played anymore ... the ones that traditional oldies radio has forgotten all about with their short, repetitive play lists. Without your help and support, this great music will continue to disappear and fade away.